Chapter Thirty-One
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Beth and Sean decided to go to a five o’clock movie and grab dinner afterward. When Sean picked her up he was apologetic. “I’d planned to take you to the Impudent Oyster. It’s one of my favorite restaurants. But I totally forgot that they are closed on Wednesdays. I hope the Squire is okay?”
Beth didn’t care where they went. “The Squire is always good.” Sean drove and they found a parking spot right across the street from the movie theater, which was near the beginning of Main Street. If the weather had been nicer, Beth would have suggested walking there as well, but the walk in the winter cold and darkness would have been too much.
The theater wasn’t very busy, so they had their pick of seats. Beth loved seeing movies at the Orpheum. It was a historic building that had been renovated and it was convenient that it was so close by. They decided to share a large buttered popcorn with a couple of waters and chose seats in the middle of the theater. Beth was excited to see this movie. It was a romantic comedy and the reviews so far were really good.
They both enjoyed it. The time flew by as they munched on their popcorn. They didn’t make much of a dent in it, though, as the bucket was huge and Beth didn’t want to ruin her appetite for dinner.
They walked to the Squire when the movie ended and it was busy for a quiet Wednesday in December, but there were still plenty of available tables. They took a quick look at the menu and both decided on cups of chowder. Sean went with steak tips and Beth chose grilled salmon.
As they ate, they caught each other up on what was new since they’d last seen each other.
“I saw the doctor and he likes my progress. I should be able to get the cast off on Monday and switch to a brace that I can wear during the day and take off at night.” She smiled. “I won’t miss the crutches. Though I am getting pretty good with them.”
“You do fine. But that will be a relief, getting that thing off. I broke my leg once and hated wearing the cast. I especially hated the itching and not being able to scratch.”
Beth laughed. “Yes, that’s the worst.” She took a bite of salmon. It was delicious, with a lemon butter sauce. “The house already seems quiet with Riley gone. It’s nice having Lily around, though.”
“Lily’s her cat?”
Beth nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking it’s about time for me to adopt a new cat. I lost one a few months ago. I’d had him for over twenty years and it was heartbreaking to lose him.”
“They become part of the family,” Sean agreed. “You should get one. I have a dog, a golden retriever. Rusty’s the best. He’s young still, just four. So hopefully I’ll have him for many years.”
“Goldens are good dogs,” Beth said. She could picture Sean with Rusty.
“You’ll have to meet him soon. He’ll like you.”
Beth smiled. “I think goldens like everyone.”
Sean laughed. “Rusty’s smart, though. He never warmed to Marcy, the last woman I dated. I don’t think she was much of a dog person or a cat person, now that I think of it. They can tell.”
“They really can,” Beth agreed.
“So, Riley has an interview in the city?” Sean asked.
Beth spread a bit of butter on a piece of bread and took a bite before answering. “She has two actually. One she’s really excited about and the other is at her boyfriend’s company, a law firm.”
“What industry is the other company?”
“Some kind of software, educational, I think. Similar to her last company,” Beth said.
“I would think she’d like that better. Software companies are usually sort of casual and laid back, right? Not like a law firm.”
Beth agreed. “Riley said that exactly. She said Jack wears suits every day and works tons of overtime. Her job probably wouldn’t require long hours, but it sounds a little stuffy compared to what she’s used to. She did say the pay would be better, though.”
Sean frowned. “That’s never enough, though. Better to make less and love what you do and where you do it.”
“I totally agree. I work longer hours with the inn, but it’s my business and I love it. I’ve never been happier.”
He smiled. “Same here. I actually used to have one of those corporate jobs for years when the girls were young. We lived in a suburb of Boston and I took the train into the city every day, wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase. I worked in finance and I pretty much hated everything about it. But the money was good. I wanted to quit long before I did, but my ex wouldn’t let me. She said it wasn’t fair to the girls.”
Beth reached out and took his hand and squeezed it lightly. “That’s awful.”
“She was partly right. We had a mortgage and kids are not inexpensive. I didn’t have a plan for something else that would cover the bills. So I stayed put, for a while. But I started doing some woodworking on the side, as a hobby, and it slowly grew into a part-time income. When it matched the salary of the day job, I put my notice in. The ex still didn’t like it. She preferred the prestige of saying her husband had a big job in finance, but she couldn’t argue with the numbers.”
“So you got to retire the suit. That must have been a happy day.”
“It was. Not long after that, we divorced and I moved here. I figured I could do woodworking from anywhere and I’d always loved the Cape and loved to fish. When my father passed ten years ago, my mother sold her house there and followed me here. It’s nice having some family nearby. And of course the girls used to love to spend a good part of the summers with me.”
“It is nice to have family around. I’m grateful that Amy, Rob, and the girls are just ten minutes away. I don’t love that Riley is in New York, but it’s not so far. She still gets home a few times a year. I am sorry that she lost her job, but it has been a godsend having her here these past few weeks. I will miss her and Lily when they head home. I think that may be just around the corner.”
Sean smiled. “Well, I’ll make sure you’re not too lonely when she goes. I look forward to spending more time with you, if you’re up for that?”
Beth felt a rush of warmth as she looked into Sean’s eyes. “I’d really like that.”
“Good! So, I know it’s only two days away, but I’d love to see you on Friday night if you can get out? With Christmas on Sunday, I’m sure you’ll be tied up the rest of the weekend.”
“Yes, let’s do something on Friday. I will be busy the rest of the weekend. I can’t believe it’s already Christmas. I actually haven’t been able to get out and shop at all as I haven’t been driving. I’ve mostly been shopping online, which is fine. But I still need to get a few more things.”
Sean grinned. “So, let’s go Christmas shopping Friday night and then grab a bite somewhere after. We can drive into Hyannis and go to the mall. If you like Chinese food, I’m a big fan of Tiki Port, which is right by the mall.”
Beth laughed. “You don’t want to go shopping, do you? That actually does sound kind of fun. If you are serious, I will take you up on it.”
“Absolutely. What time do you want to head out?”
Beth thought for a minute. “We have wine and cheese hour from five to six. Why don’t you come for that and we can head out after.”
“Perfect.”
When they finished up, Sean once again insisted on paying the bill. Beth decided she was going to pay when he wasn’t looking when they went for Chinese. She suspected that was the only way she’d get a chance to treat him, and since he was taking her shopping, he deserved it and she wanted to show her gratitude.
He walked her to her door when they got home. It was after nine by then and they both had to be up early the next day, so she didn’t invite him in. But they did share a long and very sweet kiss at the door before she went inside. She was on cloud nine as she flopped on the living room sofa. Lily immediately hopped onto her lap and she petted her absentmindedly as she replayed their kiss in her mind. So far, there had been no red flags with Sean at all. He was easy to be around and she was falling fast.